How to check the qualifications of a cosmetics factory?

1. The first level: statutory production license

To engage in cosmetics production in China, you must first check the cosmetics production license. The license shall state the name of the enterprise, residence, production address, unified social credit code, legal representative or person in charge, licensed items, validity period, issuing authority and date of issuance.

The focus of the license is not a picture, but the subject, address, license unit and validity period covering planned products. When changes occur to production sites or licensing projects, attention should also be paid to change records.

• Who issues: Provincial drug regulatory authorities
• What to prove: The enterprise is allowed to produce within the stated address and project scope
• What it does not prove: It does not prove that every product is automatically compliant, nor does it mean that the factory can produce all dosage forms.

2. Second floor:ISO 22716,GMPC Certified with ISO 9001 system

ISO 22716 is a guide to good manufacturing practices for cosmetics, covering quality aspects of production, control, storage and shipment.GMPC It is often used to describe cosmetics good manufacturing practice audits or systems, but the specific meaning depends on the adopting standard, certification body, certificate scope and applicable address. ISO 9001 is a general quality management system standard, not a cosmetic product certification.

The value of a system certificate is to prove that an organization and site have undergone a system audit of a specific scope, but the certificate cannot replace local statutory production licenses, product filings, notifications, safety assessments and label audits.

• Who issues it: Third-party certification body
• Verification fields: certificate number, certification body, standard, scope, address, status and validity period
• Common misunderstanding: only look at the certificate logo, not the scope and address

3. The third level: product registration, filing, listing and notification

Product compliance is usually tied to specific markets, products, brands, formulas and responsible entities. China implements filing for general cosmetics and registration for special cosmetics; US MoCRA involves registration of applicable facilities and product listing; pre-marketing in the EU usually involves responsible persons, PIF, CPSR and CPNP Notification.

These procedures do not issue a global certificate to the factory. The factory can provide manufacturing and inspection data, or assist in submission, but the brand, registrant, filing person, responsible person or importer still needs to bear their respective legal responsibilities.

Four.FDA,CPNP Why can’t it be called a universal certification certificate?

FDA Officials clearly distinguish between facility registration, product listing and product approval. Completion of applicable registration or listing does not constitute FDA Approval of products should also not create the impression of official endorsement in promotions.

CPNP is the EU cosmetics product notification portal. It serves the notification process of specific products in the EU market. It is not a production qualification certificate issued by the European Commission to the factory, nor can it replace the UK SCPN or other state procedures.

5. The fourth level: test reports and safety evaluation materials

Raw material inspection, finished product physical and chemical, microbiological, stability, packaging material compatibility, efficacy evaluation and safety assessment reports answer the results of specific samples, batches or formulas under specific methods. The report should verify sample name, batch number, method, date, laboratory and conclusion.

A report for an old formula, old packaging material or another brand cannot automatically cover new items. In addition to the authenticity of the report, it is also necessary to determine whether it is relevant to the current formula, packaging materials, claims and sales market.

6. Level 5: Factory internal quality system

Internal systems include supplier review, raw material release, weighing review, equipment cleaning, deviations, changes, non-conforming products, complaints, recalls, sample retention, self-inspection and personnel training. The system is usually not an external certificate, but it directly determines whether the system runs every day.

When inspecting the factory, don’t just look at the system catalog, but take out a record to verify the implementation. For example, randomly select a batch of finished products to see if raw materials, weighing, production, inspection and release can be traced; randomly select a piece of equipment to see if cleaning, maintenance and calibration records are continuous.

7. Nine-step method for certificate verification

Regardless of whether you receive a production license or system certificate, you can verify it in the following order.

• Record the full name of the certificate, not just the abbreviation or logo
• Confirm the relationship between the issuing entity and supervisor or approval
• Enter the certificate number to the official or issuing agency inquiry portal
• Check the full name of the company and the unified social credit code
• Verify the address of the production or certification site
• Check the scope of licensing projects or certifications
• Check initial issuance, current validity period and supervision status
• Check suspensions, revocations, changes and history
• Save query date, page screenshot and original link

8. The qualification number is correct and the scope of application must also be checked.

The same enterprise may have multiple locations, and the certificate only covers one of them; the same license may cover creams and lotions but not wax bases or powders; the same system certification may only cover sales or design but not production.

Scope judgment must go back to the planned product: dosage form, production process, production location, target market, and responsible entities. If the number is real but the range does not match, it still cannot be used as a basis for the project.

9. Eight expressions by which customers are most likely to be misled

If you encounter the following statements, you should ask the other party to provide complete documents and official query results.

• "FDA"Certified Factory" but does not indicate whether it is facility registration or product listing.
• "CPNP Certificate" but no specific product, responsible person and notification information
• "International GMPC"But does not specify the standards and certification bodies
• "ISO full system" but the scope does not include the production address
• “Export to 70 countries” but there is no country-by-country compliance path
• "All products can do it" but the licensing unit is incomplete
• "All tests passed" but the reported sample is inconsistent with the current formula
• "Same model as big brand" but without authorization and verifiable delivery evidence

10. Brand owners should establish their own qualification files

Each candidate factory establishes electronic files: business license, production license, license copy, system certificate, official query screenshot, organizational structure, equipment and inspection list, latest audit results, rectification records and contact persons. Review validity periods and major changes at least annually.

After the project starts, the product formula version, packaging material version, inspection report, filing notice, label document and release record are associated with the factory qualification file. In this way, even if personnel are changed, the basis for decision-making can be reconstructed.